Dear Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,
After greetings and respect,
A few nights ago, I was a guest at a friend’s house, and the conversation about political matters stretched into the early hours of the morning. Towards the end of the discussion, I told my friend, “The lifespan of humans is in God’s hands, but if they were to give you Khamenei’s life string, what would you do?” He immediately replied, “I’d break it.”
I told him that if they gave me Khamenei’s life string, I would protect it and keep it safe. He asked why.
I said, “Look, if we want to fight, argue, and wound each other, we must do all of this during his lifetime and before his eyes, because it’s his presence that prevents these disputes from leading to the country’s disintegration.”
I told him, “If Khamenei dies under these circumstances, the country will fall into chaos. The current situation is vastly different from 1368 [1989], when the Assembly of Experts appointed a new leader and the people complied. This time, people will take to the streets, the Revolutionary Guard will intervene, and the army will not remain silent. Our country’s situation might become even worse than Syria’s.”
Some might say, “In our country, which is secure right now, what problem exists that makes you speak this way?”
In response, I say yes, I agree that we currently have relatively good security, but the problem is that this security is not stable.
When you hold Ayatollah Hashemi’s funeral, the firefighters’ funeral, and many other ceremonies in an extremely securitized atmosphere and are afraid of people’s gatherings, it means that our security is not stable.
Mr. Khamenei, the solution to the problem, in my opinion, is to listen to your opponents and not underestimate them. Currently, your opponents outnumber your supporters, and this is a threat to your government and to the country’s unity.
Mr. Khamenei, your opponents come from various spectrums. If a public uprising and subsequent civil war were to occur, you would not be able to bring your opponents together at a table for negotiation. Now is the time for this.
The internal wars of Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Syria, on the three continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in recent years, are in front of us and serve as a warning to us. It has long been said that “one must find a solution before the event occurs.”
Currently, with a little effort and personal sacrifice, it is possible to gather all opponents together and reach an agreement with them.
If we do not reach a logical solution internally, decisions will be made for us from outside, and attention will be directed outwards, and then it will not be clear what kind of solution will be imposed on us!
Mr. Khamenei, the root of all our problems goes back to the constitution. With the current constitution, it is no longer possible to govern Iran.
We need a new constitution. You must ask your opponents for their opinions on this matter and listen to and respect their views.
For some time, I have hoped to gather your opponents’ leaders, those who have something to say and who have popularity in the hearts of the people, for consultation in a place, and ask them to swear together there to think of nothing but saving the homeland and the advancement and prosperity of the country, to dodge thoughts of revenge and conflict, and then to appoint a representative as a spokesperson to convey their views to you and to the people through the spokesperson.
I think “Transition Council” is a suitable name for this group, meaning a council responsible for steering the country during the transition from an unstable state to a stable one, with your assistance, of course.
This is exactly what Bashar al-Assad did not do, leading to his current plight and dragging his own people into this situation, which has embroiled us and cost the lives of our youth.
In my opinion, it would be appropriate for these individuals to be present in the Transition Council. Of course, your opinion on this matter is important as well.
1) Shirin Ebadi 2) Mohammad Khatami 3) Abolhassan Banisadr 4) Mir Hossein Mousavi 5) Mehdi Karroubi 6) Zahra Rahnavard 7) Nasrin Sotoudeh 8) Narges Mohammadi 9) Parastoo Forouhar 10) Azam Taleghani 11) Faezeh Hashemi 12) Mohammad Nourizad 13) Mehdi Khazali 14) Abdolali Bazargan 15) Mostafa Tajzadeh 16) Mohammad Maleki 17) Ali Motahari 18) Ahmad Montazeri 19) Bayat Zanjani 20) Yousef Sanei 21) Mohammad Ali Taheri 22) Molavi Abdolhamid 23) Ali-Mohammad Dastgheib 24) Ebrahim Yazdi 25) Ata’ollah Mohajerani 26) Reza Pahlavi 27) Heshmatollah Tabarzadi 28 and 29) Two representatives from Kurdish parties 30) One representative from the People’s Mojahedin Organization
I await practical steps from your side.
Mohammad Mahdavifar
Deminer and Diver of the Sacred Defense
30th Bahman 1395 [February 18, 2017]